Yesterday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that USofficials who have engaged in “nasty behaviour” over Chinese-claimed Taiwanwill face sanctions.
She added that owing to the wrong actions of the United States, China hasdecided to impose sanctions on responsible US officials who have engaged innasty behaviour on the Taiwan issue. Earlier, Chinese Mission to the UNthreatened that “The United States will pay a heavy price for its wrongaction.” While responding to US Ambassador to the UN, Amb. Kelly Craftscheduled visit to Taiwan in the mid of January this year. However, thevisit of Kelly Crafts was cancelled by the US administration, while citingthe ongoing transition a reason for it.
On 10 November 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, lift therestrictions, which bars US officials to interact with their Taiwancounterparts. However, several US higher officials had visited Taipei(Capital of Taiwan), in August- September 2020, well before this move.
Previously, US–Taiwan relations were based on informal ground as perthe third communiqué on the establishment of US- Peoples Republic of Chinarelations and on US, Taiwan Relation Act (TRA) 1979. However, the USCongress passed Taiwan Travel Act (TTA) in March 2018, after that relationsbetween the United States and Taiwan have maneuvered to an official andhigh-level basis. The US government agreed to the sale of 66 F-16 FightingFalcon Viper (V) Block 70 multirole jet fighter Aircrafts to Taiwan inAugust 2020.
United States was in steady efforts to develop relations with the Taiwanduring last few years. United States do not have a formal diplomaticmission in Taiwan. The US maintains its unofficial relations with Taiwanthrough its nonprofit private corporation, American Institute in Taiwan(AIT). Taiwan has Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Offices(TECRO) in twelve cities including US Capital Washington DC. The UnitedStates and Taiwan have a trade and investment framework agreement betweenthem. United States and Taiwan have good bilateral trade and investmentrelations. United States offered full bright scholarships to Taiwanstudents in its Universities. UN General Assembly passed a resolution 2758dated 25 Oct 1971, which calls for one china Policy and determined thePeoples Republic of China as the only legitimate representative of China.Therefore, Taiwan cannot maintain diplomatic relations with any Country ofthe World, nor it has membership of any international organizationsincluding UNO.
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Chinese government forcefully rejected all these moves of the United Statesaimed at instigating Taiwan government to establish official relationshipwith US and show up its presence at UN forum in any capacity. In mid-2020,US Mission to the UN and Department of State’s Bureau of InternationalOrganizations had been insisting Taiwan to share its experience in fightingthe coronavirus outbreak if it had a voice in the international bodies suchas WHO. China blatantly opposed this US move and categorically declared theTaiwan as its part.
Sino-US relations have worsened as China has already condemned theannouncement of easing US relations with Taiwan by US Secretary of StateMike Pompeo in the recent past. China has started responding US moves astit for tat. Earlier, China imposed sanction on 11 American citizensincluding US lawmakers when US imposed sanctions on Hong Kong and Chineseofficials for curtailing political freedom in the former British colony.This time again it retaliated forcefully and hit back US with sanctionsagainst US officials. China says Taiwan is the most important and sensitiveissue in its relationship with the United States. It fiercely responded tothe US and similarly demonstrated to Taiwan government in response toTaipei honeymoon with the US by stepping up military activity near theisland and flying its fighter jets near Taiwan border. However, US movetoward Taiwan is not unintentional but a well calculated strategic policyunder the umbrella of US Indo-Pacific Strategy which aims at containingChina influence and military might in its circumference. Infect, the comingdays will decide success or failure of both adversaries.
